Oracle ITA Junior Masters Day One Recap

MALIBU, Calif. – The inaugural Oracle ITA Junior Masters kicked off on Thursday at the Malibu Racquet Club overlooking the Pacific Coast Highway and the Santa Monica Mountains. Sixteen boys and 16 girls representing nine different states across the United State competed alongside college players in first and second round action on Thursday.

Players were selected for this event through 12 regional qualifying events organized and run by Universal Tennis. The winners of each qualifier received automatic entry. If the winner was unable to travel to Malibu for the Junior Masters, then an alternate was chosen based on UTR. To round out the draw for the Junior Masters, four wildcards were chosen based on UTR among those who played in a regional event but did not win.

The Junior Masters uses a compass draw which guarantees each player four matches over the four-day tournament. Players follow USTA rules and scoring with the exception of using no-ad in order to mimic the college format.

On the first day of play, several upsets disrupted the Boys draw. Top seed Ryan Seggerman (13.13) fought past his first opponent, Alec Baskerville (11.34), with a routine 6-4, 6-2 win before losing in the second round to Robert Baylon (12.62) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Second seed Cody Lin (13.28) struggled in his first set against unseeded Tommy Edwards (11.40), losing it 6-1. Lin came alive in the second set, taking it by a score of 6-4 before dropping the final set by the same score and moving into the West consolation draw where he'll face Benjamin Gollin (12.64).

Jacob Bullard (12.74), the 4th seed, also struggled against his first-round opponent, Garrett Johns (12.46). The score line was tight in the first set as Bullard used his power to move the ball around the court. Bullard eventually took the first set in a tiebreaker, but Johns's defensive skills proved too tough. Johns made quick work of the 2nd set, forcing Bullard to adjust his game plan in the decider. After a series of service breaks, it was Johns who prevailed, moving into the 2nd round with a 6-7, 6-1, 6-4 win.

Third seed Mason Beiler (13.01) is the only one of the four seeds who is still alive in the main draw. He made quick work of his first round opponent before going on to an uneventful win in Round 2. He faces unseeded Carlos Hassey (12.62) in the semifinals.

On the Girls side, three of the four seeds survived the first round with only the 2 seed, Anessa Lee (10.37), losing her first match of the day. However, by the end of round two, none of the seeds were left in the main draw. The only true upset in terms of UTR was Rena Lin's (9.73) decisive 6-0, 6-4 win over top seed Sydney Van Alphen (10.73) in the second round.

With the compass draw, all players will return for additional matches on Saturday. For draws and results, click here. Matches will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Malibu Racquet Club.